The Royal Family’s Nicknames for Each Other: William, Harry, More

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The Royal Family’s Nicknames for Each Other: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and More Family Members’ Sweet Monikers

What’s in a name? While the royal family is known to be stoic in public, the endearing monikers they call each other are a nod to the sweet, soft side of The Firm.

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Prior to her passing in September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II was often referred to as “the queen,” even by members of her family. However, her four children — as well as her eight grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren — would also interchange her formal title for more familial ones.

For King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, they referred to their late mother as “Mama,” as evidenced by their touching tributes after Her Majesty’s death at age 96. Elizabeth and the late Prince Philip’s grandchildren, meanwhile, referred to their grandmother as “Grannie.”

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Prince William and Princess Kate’s eldest son, Prince George — who was born in July 2013 and is third in line to the throne — had a special nickname for his great-grandma.

“George is only 2 1/2 and he calls her ‘Gan-Gan,’” the Princess of Wales revealed in the 2016 ITV documentary, Our Queen at Ninety.

When it comes to their grandparents — including the late Princess Diana — William and Prince Harry’s kids have cute nicknames for them as well.

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To his five grandchildren — William and Kate’s kids, George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and Harry and Meghan Markle’s little ones, Archie and Lilibet — Charles is known as “Grandpa Wales.” His wife, Queen Consort Camilla, has the nickname “Gaga,” she revealed in 2016.

Diana, for her part, is called “Granny Diana” by William and Harry’s children. Though she was killed in a car accident decades before her grandchildren were born, her memory lives on in the princes’ respective homes.

“Dear Granny Diana, I am thinking of you on Mother’s Day,” Charlotte penned in a poignant letter to her late grandmother in 2021. “I love you very much. Papa is missing you. Lots of love.”

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In his Apple TV+ series The Me You Can’t See, Harry recalled that one of son Archie’s first words was “grandma” — referring to Diana.

“I got a photo of her in his nursery, and it was one of the first words that he said — apart from ‘mama,’ ‘papa,’ it was then ‘grandma.’ Grandma Diana,” the Duke of Sussex shared in the 2021 docuseries. “It’s the sweetest thing, but at the same time, it makes me really sad because she should be here.”

Keep scrolling to see all of the royals’ nicknames for each other:

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Queen Elizabeth II

The late monarch’s four children referred to her as “Mama,” while her eight grandkids called her “Grannie.” Prince George, third in line to the throne, called her “Gan-Gan” when he was little, Kate revealed in 2016. Her Majesty’s childhood nickname was “Lilibet,” which her late husband also called her. Harry and Meghan’s daughter was named in her honor.

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King Charles III

The sovereign’s five grandkids refer to him as “Grandpa Wales.” Harry refers to his dad as “Pa” in his 2023 memoir, Spare.

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Princess Diana

Royal watchers have long known Diana as “The People’s Princess,” but to a young William and Harry, she was simply “Mummy” — as they addressed a note they left on her coffin after her death in 1997. Though the royal died decades before the birth of her grandchildren, both princes keep their late mother’s memory alive in their respective homes, with George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet being taught about “Granny Diana.”

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Prince William

William may be called “Wills” in the press, but to Harry, he’s “Willy,” as the prince repeatedly referred to his brother in Spare. To William’s son George, he’s just “Pops.”

“Kate said that William was playing football with the children last night and one of them said, I think it was George, ‘Are you playing football tomorrow, Pops?’” an onlooker recalled to reporters after the Princess of Wales’ visit to Leicester, England, in 2018.

Charlotte, on the other hand, referred to her dad as “Papa” in a poignant Mother’s Day card she wrote to Diana.

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Prince Harry

Harry, in fact, is the Duke of Sussex’s nickname — his real name is Henry. William’s nickname for his little brother is Harold, the duke wrote in Spare. For her part, Meghan refers to her husband as “H” and “Haz.”

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Princess Kate

Like her brother-in-law, Kate goes by a variation of her given name, Catherine. William often refers to his wife by her full name when mentioning her in public.

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Meghan Markle

Harry frequently calls his wife by her nickname, Meg. Her father-in-law, on the other hand, allegedly refers to her as “Tungsten” — a tough metal — “because of her toughness and resilience,” royal author Katie Nicholl writes in her book The New Royals.

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Queen Consort Camilla

Camilla, who is step-grandmother to William and Harry’s children, revealed in 2016 that the kids refer to her as “Gaga.” At the time, the royal told Lady Gaga that they share a name. In Spare, Harry revealed that he and William referred to Camilla as “the Other Woman” before she became their stepmother, referencing their father’s affair with the future queen consort while he was still married to Diana.

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Princess Charlotte

Upon meeting Kate in Ireland in 2019, a Belfast-based blogger recalled that she and the princess spoke about their children — and Kate referred to Charlotte as “Lottie” when speaking about her only daughter.

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Lillibet Mountbatten-Windsor

Harry and Meghan’s daughter, Lilibet Diana, was named after both the queen and the duke’s beloved mother. Her parents often call her Lili, a short and sweet nickname for Lilibet.